..."It is the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed...." This week, I’m sharing quotes from The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships and Forgotten Approaches to Care to connect the practice of hevrot to our work in fundraising. Reflection questions: How are you "thinking in relationship" to avoid depersonalizing our donors to goals or metrics? How are you bringing groups of donors together during the capital campaign to create communities of care? Reflection on quote: As we plan and implement our capital campaigns, it's easy to forget the purpose of fundraising. At its core, fundraising isn't just about securing donations—it's about fostering genuine human connections built on care and mutual recognition.  The Jewish practice of hevrot underscores this. The article, The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships, defines hevrot as small, local voluntaristic groups of individuals who join together to do good works or promote piety. The practice dates to at least the second century.  The research in Forgotten Approaches to Care further explores this practice.  Rather than seeing donors simply as a means to reach our campaign goals, we recognize them as partners in a shared mission. When we frame our work through…

"All that happens, happens right: you will find it so if you observe narrowly..." This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD. Reflection questions: When you think about a failure during the campaign, how are you observing narrowly for the right things that came out of it? How are you using failures to spark deeper conversations with donors? Reflection on quote: In working with capital campaigns, it’s not surprising that I’m well-acquainted with failure as well. A donor event that no one shows up to. A campaign stewardship update that has hardly any opens. A direct mail campaign that goes out later than expected.  As much as I want every activity during a capital campaign to be successful, that’s not real life. When failure happens during a time of economic uncertainty, it can feel even more overwhelming. A wise campaign volunteer once told me that a capital campaign is like a riding a wild stallion without a saddle.  There is a lot that is out of our control and that can bring failure.  All that happens, happens right.  Notice that Aurelius didn’t say, all that happens, happens perfectly.  Or, successfully.  But, he says “right…

"Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs." This week, I’m reading from the Analects by Confucius, written sometime between 551 and 479 BC. Reflection questions: Is there any hesitancy among your leaders about giving first and publicly to your campaign? What are ways you can address that hesitancy? Are you willing to have the necessary conversation to ask a leader to give a gift meaningful to them or leave the Board or campaign committee for the success of the campaign? Reflection on quote: As we consider capital campaigns during times of uncertainty, what are ways to increase trust and giving within the community?  The first step is for the leaders of the nonprofit and the campaign to give first and be public about their giving.  This is not a new principle; instead it comes from ancient wisdom.  Over twenty-five hundred years later, this wisdom still holds true. When your Executive Director, board members and campaign leaders make their gifts first and let the community know about it, something powerful happens. They're sending a signal that goes way beyond the donation. They're showing confidence despite uncertainty. Think about it. There's never a perfect moment to launch a…

"...In the struggle for existence, it is only on those who hang on for ten minutes after all is hopeless, that hope begins to dawn..." This week, I am reading selected quotes on hope from GK Chesterton. Reflection question: Where do you need to lean into the desperate, forlorn hope this week and keep moving forward? Reflection on quote: Last week, we discussed the first of two opposite errors in our campaign messaging that we can fall into.  The first error is blaming others and encouraging rage giving.  The second is to create desperate pleas for emergency giving with the implicit threat that the capital campaign project will fail without the donations.  This week, let’s reflect on the weaknesses with desperate pleas during a capital campaign.   I typically counsel my capital campaign clients that they get one shot at giving a desperate plea in a small town and they need to use it wisely. Why? As GK Chesterton stated, fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.  But, if dragons keep getting resurrected, and resurrected, and resurrected, then children cease to believe that dragons can be killed. Repeated desperate pleas sap hope from the community.  Instead, when we are facing…